SMALL businesses are likely to be hard hit if the proposed postal strikes go ahead tomorrow and Friday. A snap poll of over 800 small firms by the Federation of Small Businesses revealed that 70% of small businesses rely on Royal Mail for more than half o

SMALL businesses are likely to be hard hit if the proposed postal strikes go ahead tomorrow and Friday.

A snap poll of over 800 small firms by the Federation of Small Businesses revealed that 70% of small businesses rely on Royal Mail for more than half of their business post.

"Small businesses still rely on the Royal Mail more than larger businesses do", said Colin Parnell, FSB Peterborough Branch Chairman.

"Many large businesses have already moved to alternative delivery carriers and, in any case, use electronic mail and automated payment methods (like BACS) to a much greater extent."

"Smaller businesses still tend to be sending out invoices by post and looking to receive cheques in their incoming mail."

The FSB snap poll also revealed that half of all small firms are actively considering leaving Royal Mail.

A massive 70% of small businesses said that protracted industrial action in the lead up to Christmas would cause them to lose money; 40% said they would lose trade and 40% feared that their reputation would be damaged!

However, nearly half of the small business polled say that alternative carriers are too expensive for them and a third say that they do not meet their needs properly.

Interestingly, 66% of small businesses would be willing to pay slightly more for postage (temporarily) to fund improvements in Royal Mail.

With small businesses providing more than 58% of all private sector jobs and generating more than half of the total Gross Domestic Product of the UK, they cannot be allowed to be damaged further during this period of economic uncertainty.